Gov.
Rick Perry today appointed to the University of Houston System Board of Regents
three new members: Spencer D. Armour III of Midland; Roger Fleming Welder of
Victoria; and Houstonian Welcome W. Wilson Jr., who replaces his father,
Welcome W. Wilson Sr., whose term is expiring.

“With their diverse business backgrounds,
considerable talents and strong leadership abilities, I am confident that each
of these appointees will make outstanding contributions to our board and to the
University of Houston System,” said UH System Chancellor and UH President Renu
Khator.

“These new
board members join us at a crucial time in the life of the university and of
higher education in Texas, as we continue to distinguish ourselves as a Tier
One university during challenging economic times,” Khator said.

The appointments are subject to
confirmation by the Texas State Senate. Each of the appointees will serve
through Aug. 31, 2017.

Armour is managing partner of Armada Gas
and Oil. He is a past board member and past president of the Petroleum Club of
Midland, and a past board member of Patterson-UTI Energy and the Midland
Country Club. He is also a past board member of the Midland North Central Little
League and a volunteer 7-on-7 coach at Midland Lee High School. Armour received
a bachelor’s degree from the University of Houston.

Welder is retired CEO of J.F. Welder
Heirs, and current vice chair of the First Victoria National Bank board of directors.
He is president of the Victoria ISD Education Foundation and Guadalupe-Blanco
River Trust; vice chair of the Victoria College board of directors; board
secretary of the Victoria Airport Commission; and treasurer, past board member
and honorary director of the Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Foundation.
He is a board member of the Victoria Performing Arts Center, Victoria Symphony
Endowment, and Victoria Rotary Club, director of Billy T. Cattan Recovery
Outreach, and a member of the Caron Texas Advisory Board and Texas Christian
University Institute of Ranch Management Advisory Board.

Welder also is president emeritus and a
past board member of the Victoria Business and Education Coalition, and a past
board member of the Victoria Economic Development Corporation, Texas A&M
University College of Agriculture Development Council, and University of
Houston at Victoria Presidents Advisory Council. He received a bachelor’s
degree from Texas Christian University.

Welcome Wilson Jr. is president and CEO
of GSL Welcome Group. He is a board member of the Texas Business Hall of Fame,
Houston Realty Business Coalition, Southwest TIRZ 20, Sharpstown Management
District, and Houston Food Bank. He is also immediate past president of the
Kinkaid School Alumni Organization, and a past member of the Texas Guaranteed
Student Loan Corporation. Wilson attended the University of Denver.

“The governor has selected three
outstanding individuals, and I am confident they have the vision to take the UH
System to the next level of excellence,” said Board of Regents Chair Nelda
Blair. “These appointees have impressive track records of success, and I look
forward to collaborating with them on behalf of the System.”

Blair also praised the leadership and
contributions of Carroll Ray, Jim Wise and Welcome W. Wilson Sr., whose board
terms are expiring. “I’d like to express my personal thanks and gratitude to
each of them for their exceptional service,” she said. “Their service on the
board may have concluded, but I know their commitment and passion for the UH
System will continue.”

The University of Houston System is a comprehensive system
of higher education institutions serving to further the intellectual capital
and economic strength of the Gulf Coast region. The UH System includes the
University of Houston, a nationally recognized Tier One public research
university; the University of Houston-Downtown, a four-year undergraduate
university expanding into graduate programs;
the University of Houston-Victoria, a four-year university with
undergraduate and master’s level degree programs; and the University of
Houston- Clear Lake, an upper-division and master’s level institution. The
system also includes two branch campuses, UH-Clear Lake Pearland and Lone Star
College-University Park, as well as two multi-institution teaching centers, UH
System Sugar Land and UH System Cinco Ranch. In addition, the System owns and
operates KUHF-FM, Houston’s National Public Radio station; KUHA-FM, Houston’s
24-hour classical music station; and KUHT-TV, the nation’s first educational
television station. To learn more about the UH System, visit
http://www.uhsa.uh.edu/.